The Tripartite Technical Commission has met to select a consultancy company
to undertake studies on the impact of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on
Egypt's share of Nile water, reports Reem Leila
Friday,17 October, 2014
Egypt is hosting a two-day meeting today, 16 October, with a 12-expert panel
representing Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. Together they will choose a
consultancy company to investigate the hydrological, social and
environmental effects of the Ethiopian project on Egypt and Sudan, both
downstream from the dam. Egyptian, Sudanese and Ethiopian ministers of
irrigation will attend the meetings to exchange findings on the impact of
the Ethiopian hydropower project.
The original meeting was scheduled to take place on 20-21 October, but it
was brought forward to accommodate the schedules of the Sudanese and
Ethiopian irrigation ministers. This is the second Grand Ethiopian
Renaissance Dam (GERD) meeting of the Tripartite Technical Commission. The
first was held at the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa last September. Further
issues to be discussed today and tomorrow include water security, GERD
progress and developments in the African continent.
Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hossam Moghazi has pointed out at
a press conference that today's meeting is very important. "The Tripartite
Technical Commission will choose one of nine consultancy companies. Each of
Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia are suggesting three different companies to
undertake the required studies about the GERD's impact as requested by the
international technical panel in May 2013," said Moghazi.
It was in May 2013, when the technical panel decided that current studies to
assess the dam's impact on the river flow were insufficient and that further
studies are a must. According to Mogahzi the selected company shall complete
its work within five months, before March 2015. "In the case of the two-day
meeting ending without the required company being settled on, The Tripartite
Technical Commission will be provided with a further two weeks to resolve
the issue," he explained.
The Irrigation Minister believes that the 12-expert committee will also
choose an international law firm to represent Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in
negotiations with the consultancy company regarding financial and
administrative matters. "Financial costs will be equally divided among the
three countries," he said.
Egypt is concerned that the $4.2 billion dam project - of which, according
to recent announcements by the Ethiopian government, 40 per cent is complete
- could negatively affect its water supply. Ethiopia began diverting the
Blue Nile, a Nile tributary, in May last year in preparation for the
building of the 6,000 megawatt dam, planned to be Africa's largest when
completed in 2017.
For his part, the Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir told the press that the
GRED is as important to the Sudanese as the High Dam is to the Egyptians.
"It's untrue that the dam will affect Egypt's or Sudan's share of Nile
water," he said.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome has insisted that no harm
will befall Egypt. Teshome said that the first stage of the dam will be
operational as of June 2015 and will produce 700 megawatts of electricity.
Following tensions between the two countries last year, Teshome insisted the
GRED will actually benefit Egypt.
At the same time, Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy Alemayehu Tegenu
pointed out Ethiopia does not want and will not touch any of Egypt's or
North Sudan's shares of River Nile waters. "The Renaissance Dam will help to
decrease poverty as the project will provide Ethiopians with job
opportunities. The Renaissance project is not for the welfare of Ethiopia
only. It will be useful to all Nile Basin countries as well as the whole
region," Tegenu said.
Historically, only Egypt and the Sudan have had shares of Nile water. The
other Nile Basin countries did not have any need of the water, receiving
enough annual rainfall to cover agricultural needs. Egypt has historical
rights to the Nile confirmed by many international agreements. Diaa
Al-Qoussi, the veteran international water expert, pointed out that earlier
agreements were signed by Britain and Italy and the Upper Nile countries.
The last such agreement was signed in 1959 by Egypt and Sudan. "We stress
that these historical rights are protected by international law," stated
Al-Qoussi. Until 1959 Egypt received 48 billion cubic metres of water.
After the 1959 agreement, Egypt's total share of Nile water was increased to
55.5 billion cubic metres, while Sudan has received 14.5 billion cubic
metres. This amount only comprises six to eight per cent of the total
rainfall over the Nile Basin. Much of the rest is lost, some through
evaporation and transpiration, some under the ground. "What we use, then, is
very little compared to the potential. Yet to tap this potential, water
management must be introduced in some areas, such as the equatorial lakes,
where water losses are huge. The weeds consume more than is lost through
natural evaporation," said Al-Qoussi.
Benefiting from Nile water respects several principles. According to
Al-Qoussi, the share of any country must be in proportion to its population
and the size of its agricultural land. None of the Nile Basin countries
should harm any of its neighbouring countries who benefit from the River
Nile. An international dispute will develop between Egypt and Nile Basin
countries if they are to insist on their stance. "Alternatives in such cases
aren't much. Other than political and diplomatic negotiations and
international arbitration, the only remaining option will be the use of
military force," added Al-Qoussi.
Ibrahim Nasreddin of Cairo University's African Studies Institute stated
that the Nile Basin countries have begun to develop and many of them want to
use Nile water for irrigation. "However, decisions such as these cannot be
made by one country. From now on there must be consultation and mutual
agreement," emphasised Nasreddin. Egypt will eventually need to increase its
quota as this is a legal right, nonetheless. "Due to the ever increasing 80
million souls inhabiting the country, the individual's share of potable
water became less than 750 cubic metres per year, compared to 2,000 as that
person's share in any of the source countries. Officials must start talking
and the details will come later. They should focus on joint projects similar
to that of Gongli. The most important principle, though, is that the Nile is
for all its countries. This understanding relieves the Upper Nile countries
and definitely today there is a new attitude emerging," he explains.